Sunsets, palms, and choppy waves
And that’s a wrap on PIRE. Whew.
As I write this final blog post, I’m sitting in a bookstore called The Bookmark with Gabriella, sipping on hot green tea and soaking in the ambiance of this quiet little shop. I realize I have a lot to be thankful for, and a lot of people to whom I owe my sincerest gratitude.
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- At the University of Puerto Rico, to Dr. Guzzardo: thank you for welcoming us here so graciously, and for letting us fill your lab space with caps, gel, applicators, electrodes, batteries, and so, so many wires
- To Gabriella and Jin: thank you for being such incredible roommates, lab partners, and friends here, especially when life grew tough and tiring
- Back home at Penn State, to Drs. van Hell and Dussias: thank you for trusting me to carry out all of PIRE’s tasks and procedures, perhaps before I fully trusted myself
- To Heather Mann and Maryam Sinawa: thank you for working so diligently behind the scenes to make this trip as smooth and successful as possible
- To Miguel Ramírez-Bernal: thank you for telling me that this program even existed, and for encouraging me, yet again, to step outside my comfort zone and into another Spanish-speaking world
- To Dr. Elliott: thank you for expressing such a deep interest in and desire for my success—during all of my undergraduate career, yes, but especially during this trip
- And, of course, to my parents: thank you for simply shrugging and nodding when I announced that I’d be applying for a research grant in Puerto Rico; maybe a part of you wanted to resist, but you didn’t, and I will always appreciate that
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A slice of Café Comunión
The Research
I ran my last five participants this week, and every session was awesome (well, besides a hiccup in the EEG system’s USB connection on Monday, which resolved itself immediately, as if it realized it didn’t want to be the straw that broke the camel’s back). Not only did my sessions stay within the allotted 2.5 hours, but they even went well under. That hasn’t consistently happened for me until this final week. I felt more sure than ever as lead tech, and I relished the feeling of fielding questions, engaging with participants, and moving through tasks with full confidence.
Now, is research something I want to fully dedicate myself to? No, I don’t think so. At least, not yet. But there were 15 people in all who came into the lab and helped me navigate this experience, and all of them were uniquely invaluable in their own way. To each of those participants as well: thank you.
The Rest
My first Korean BBQ experience
Rolling waves, hermit crabs, sunsets, and shaved ice—this week, I saw it all. I went to Escambrón Beach twice more with Gabriella and Jin. We took some afternoon trips this time, baking in the sun before watching it set behind a haze of limned clouds. I’ll miss the beaches here. They were always clean, and free, and set against a backdrop of frothing waves that undulated as far as the eye could see. Aside from Escambrón, I also went with the others to a Korean BBQ place (incredible), the eateries Bien Dulce and Café Comunión (lovely), and even Old San Juan once more. It was a good week, and a perfect way to close this book.
While here, I’ve loved experiencing the island’s wildlife, architecture, colors, national pride, and sense of community. I’ll miss the rooster calls and the coquí chirps, the bubbling of coffee percolators and the lilting din of Spanish. My phone has organized all my photos here and tagged them as “home,” and it makes me laugh a bit because, to a certain degree, it’s right. I will have to come back to Puerto Rico someday. There is so much that I’ve seen and have yet to see, and for me, that sense of promise is enough.
“Make people happy with a cup of coffee.” – Erica Reyes